Our Stories

Our Stories

A Naperville teen spent years in court over a misunderstanding

Aug 13, 2024 0 3 min read
Marla Baker and Amara Harris
Students in Illinois can be fined up to $750 by the police for non-criminal, school-based behaviors, requiring them to attend local administrative hearings that lack any due process protections. This process is called ‘municipal ticketing.’ Marla Baker’s daughter, Amara Harris, was having a normal day at school until she was accused of stealing another student’s […]

HOUSE BILL 303 WILL PROTECT ALL CHICAGO SCHOOLS

May 24, 2024 1 3 min read
Illinois State Capitol
Stand for Children Calls on the Senate to Save Critical Bill The following statement can be attributed to Jessica Handy, Illinois Executive Director of Stand for Children: “HB 303 would extend the moratorium on school closures for ALL Chicago Public Schools until the fully elected school board is seated. ALL of them. Magnet, charter, neighborhood, […]

Confused about… whether Illinois owes Chicago Public Schools $1 billion?

May 21, 2024 0 5 min read
Political cartoon depicting people marching toward the edge of a cliff. The cliff has a sign on the side that says "Coming soon to a school near you," and the edge is labeled "federal fiscal cliff, Sept. '24." The people are holding signs reading "cost of living increases," "teacher shortage," "migrant influx," and "persistent under-funding." At the bottom of the cliff is a safety net labeled "evidence based funding."
Evidence-Based Funding If the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) Formula were fully funded, Illinois schools would see about $4.5 billion more in State funds, of which around $1 billion would go to CPS. When EBF passed, there was a stated intention to reach full funding by 2028 and a somewhat contradictory establishment of a $350 million “Minimum […]

The NewsSTAND: May 2024

May 16, 2024 0 1 min read
September 2023. The NewsSTAND. blue gradient
The Occasional Publication for Persistent Education Friends

DUAL CREDIT BILL ADVANCES AT THE CAPITOL

Apr 23, 2024 0 3 min read
Illinois state capitol
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                          April 23, 2024                                                                             CONTACT: Mea Anderson | [email protected] Stand for Children Celebrates the Passage of House Bill 5020, Bringing Illinois One Step Closer to Equitable Access to Dual Credit Courses (Springfield) – Stand for Children celebrated a huge win for Dual Credit last week after the Illinois House […]

The Path to CPS’s First School Board Election

Mar 22, 2024 0 2 min read
The Road to Chicago's 2024 School Board Election. March 18: School maps become law. March 26: Petition circulation begins June 17 – 24: Petition filing period September 26: Early voting begins November 5: Last chance to vote!
Learn About Your Candidates | Posted on October 10, 2024 The School Board Voter Education Initiative, a group of parent, educator, and community organizations committed to increasing voter awareness of the upcoming school board election and sharing unbiased information about the candidates on their ballot, created a survey to help voters learn about their school […]